MWFPA Strongly Opposes Tinplate Tariff

MWFPA and the canned food industry continue to strongly oppose the Trump Administration’s plans to announce tariffs or import restrictions on tinplate steel – a unique type of steel that is specifically made for food cans.

The President announced that next week he will sign off on a 25 percent tariff for imported steel and 10 percent tariff for foreign aluminum.Such tariffs would make canned foods vulnerable to competition from packaging made with alternative materials and therefore jeopardize jobs in an industry that employs tens of thousands of U.S. workers and pays approximately $3 billion in federal and state taxes.

Even a small increase in the price of raw materials would create further price pressures on both can makers and food manufacturers in an already challenging economic environment.

Furthermore, tariffs on tinplate would drive up prices for canned food, something that would hit families on food stamps hard because they eat more canned fruits and vegetables than wealthier households.